Fire Sage Suie had come and gone, but the few short minutes of conversation gave Jael much to process. It was somewhat like churning molasses; when he tried to start moving forward with his logic, his mind saw fit to quickly return to the fact that he had just talked to one of the Fire Sages. He had just talked one of the Fire Sages.
And it was only after the fact that Jael realized; the Fire Sage was even younger than he was. How was that even possible, to ascend to such high status at such a young age? His constantly increasing awe threatened to overflow. The sheer dedication one must require...she must've been raised and trained with nigh a moment's rest for most of her life.
She was also exceedingly polite. She had complimented his family...invited him to tea. Tea with a Fire Sage. Could it be believed?
Jael's mood at the moment was...pleasant. Jael wasn't the sort of person to become lightheaded with elation. He was happy, and his thoughts were a bit unfocused, but he was still grounded. Grounded enough at least to consider what else the Fire Sage had said.
She had said that Toku needed to be watched over. That not everyone regarded the Avatar's return with enthusiasm. That was troubling. Some people were going to start making things difficult for Toku? Who could the Fire Sage have been referring to? Could there be some secret organization lurking in the shadows of the entire world, seeking to assassinate the Avatar for the sake of returning the world to their twisted version of order? No wait, that'd be ridiculous.
He had to think about this logically. The Avatar maintains balance. So clearly, someone who would be angry about the Avatar's return is someone who wants to disrupt the balance, and has the power to do it. That means she was probably referring to one or more major powers amongst the four nations.
The Water Tribes are by most accounts peaceful. Some minor scuffles, but no major military campaigns. The Air Nomads are even more peaceful than the Water Tribes. So by process of elimination, the answer became obvious. Clearly the nation to be wary of was the one that was constantly at war within itself; the Earth Kingdoms.
From what Jael had studied, the Earth Kingdoms were never enjoyed the same level of peace the other nations did. Someone was always fighting someone, seeking to gain more power. They'd make up self-righteous causes, but they'd know deep down that the Avatar would disapprove of their actions. And that's why they'd seek to eliminate him.
Fortunately, Earth was the last element Toku had to learn. By the time he came to the Earth Kingdoms he'd probably be strong enough to take care of himself. He might even be a mite wiser by then too. In any case, it was good for the Fire Sage to have warned him ahead of time. He'd file that piece of information away for later.
Before too long Toku's lesson was over. An exhausted Toku approached Jael, saying they should look for food. Oh, and demeaning his title as Avatar again. Jael let it slide this time, if only because his friend truly was exhausted.
"You want to find food? Why don't we head back to the palace, they'll probably attend you." Left unspoken was Jael's desire to make it back with plenty of time to spare, in order to prepare for his later meeting with the Fire Sage. It was not something he was willing to miss, but he didn't really want to make a big deal out of it he didn't have to. The last thing he wanted to be was a hassle.